


Make This Go On Forever

by Tina0609



Category: British Actor RPF
Genre: Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Christmas, Dancing, Drinking, Drunk Sex, Established Relationship, F/M, Fluff and Smut, Sex, Stress, Strictly Come Dancing, Swearing, Therapy, Tom Hiddleston AU, Vaginal Fingering
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-21
Updated: 2020-03-21
Packaged: 2020-07-10 00:11:55
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,128
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19896688
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tina0609/pseuds/Tina0609
Summary: Tom Hiddleston has it all. A great, successful girlfriend, a family that's there for him, and a busy life. But a busy life is a stressful life. And slowly his coping mechanisms take a toll on him.





	1. Prologue/Teaser

**Author's Note:**

> I present to you the teaser/prologue to a new idea I have. It'll deal with alcoholism, and it's obviously an AU, as I'd never suggest real life Tom uses these coping mechanisms in stressful times. I hope you'll enjoy!

**NOW...**

There he sits. The room is painted in what he supposes is meant to be a lovely, calming colour. Not too white, not too girly, not too special.

Huh. It isn't supposed to be special, he thinks, then scoffs. He will be treated like everyone else in here. Not a very encouraging thought.

Tom sighs as he drops backwards on the tiny bed. This is supposed to be his home for at least eight weeks now? Well. Considering he doesn’t have anyone left outside to wait for him anyway, he can as well stay here.

His hands are already shaking as he holds them in front of his face. He doesn’t know if it’s simple nervousness or already symptoms. He experienced them before today. But he can’t do anything about them now.

And he shouldn’t. Of course, he shouldn’t. It’s what brought him here in the first place.

Fucking alcohol.

No, a tiny voice in his head says, it isn’t alcohol. He can deal with alcohol. Most importantly, he can deal without it as well.

Most of the time.

No, what brought him here was that tiny incident where he maybe had not controlled himself that well. And because everyone now thinks he needs help. Diana, James, Emma, Sarah, their husbands, Luke and – most shockingly, though maybe not that much, because she witnessed that lowest point of his – Katharina.

His Kat. His Nina. Is he allowed to call her that now? After what she's witnessed? After he's embarrassed her in front of her colleagues?

So, maybe it is the best for him to be here. To face this. To admit to himself what he’s denied in front of others.

Tom feels a tear slip from his eye and presses his face in his hands. No. No crying. There was enough crying yesterday when they've told him to get here.

There's a knock on his door. Before he can answer, a female voice starts to speak.

“Tom? We’re about to have our first meeting in five minutes. Maybe you can join us downstairs?”

It's a question, but Tom knows enough about places like this to be sure he doesn’t have a choice anyway. “Yeah,” he croaks and then clears his throat. “Yes, I’ll be downstairs.”

And he is. About eight minutes later all eyes are on him. 

“Do you want to introduce yourself?” the nice lady whose name Tom didn’t quite catch asks as she leans forward.

He looks around, all eyes on him. He doesn’t want to sound cocky, but he doesn’t really need an introduction, does he?

But just as he wants to shake his head, the lady clears her throat. Okay then. He’s heard it from the two other patients before him.

He closes his eyes and takes a deep breath. “Hi, I’m Tom—” he starts and then adds a soft, “Hiddleston.” When everyone nods, he continues. “And I’m an alcoholic.”

Then he hears several voices at once. It’s just like they show in the movies, isn’t it? “Hi, Tom.”


	2. Chapter One

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey there! I'm back with a (quite short -- sorry) chapter. We're moving slowly, so this is just an introduction, really. It'll get more exciting in later chapters, I promise. And they'll also get longer, eventually.  
> For now, enjoy, and tell me what you think?

She's excited. Katharina Wesselowa is probably as excited as she’s rarely been before.

Okay, maybe her boyfriend as well as her family – or her former dance partner – have something to say about that. Moving in together with Tom not yet half a year ago has been exciting. Maybe even getting a baby brother when she was three. And winning the European championship in ballroom and latin dancing last year maybe has been a tiny bit exciting itself.

Okay, so, a lot of good things have happened to Katharina in the past 31 years.

But this, this is something that could be fun again. Since she's ended her career, she’s been teaching in a big dancing studio here in London. And it’s great to see people who are simply dancing out of fun getting better at it and enjoy themselves. But now, now she could have the chance of dancing for everyone to see again. Literally everyone, Strictly Come Dancing is a big thing on TV. If she decides to do it.

“Honey, I'm home!” she calls jokingly, as she gets rid of her shoes by the front door and drops her keys in the bowl on the sideboard.

“Living-room!”

Nina – as Tom uses to call her – grins. She can see it in her mind. He's on the couch, either a book or a script in hand, a half full cup of coffee on the table and at least three cookies on a plate. After two years together, she knows him almost as well as she knows herself. Maybe even better.

Dropping her bag by the door as well, Nina quickly makes her way over. There he is, on the couch as predicted, glasses perched on his nose, looking at the door and grinning at her. Instead of coffee it’s the red wine she knows he loves, but everything she was right about.

“Hi there,” she giggles and Tom laughs at her as she comes towards him, crawls up his body on all fours and kisses him hello before she wraps herself around him, snuggling close.

“What has you in such a good mood?” he asks. “Not that I mind a bit of kissing here and there.”

Nina chuckles. “You, of course.” At Tom's snort, she slaps his biceps lightly. “Let me be the cheeky one for once.”

She sighs when Tom pulls her closer, his hands wandering up and down her back. Nina turns her head to drop a kiss on his throat.

“Out with it.”

Muttering, she sits up, her hands on Tom's chest and her knees on either side of his hips. But then she thinks about this huge opportunity again and can’t help but grin broadly and wiggle her brows.

“What do you think of Strictly Come Dancing?”

“Never really watched.” He trails off and then his eyes widen, slowly catching up. “But should I? In the future?”

Nina nods, then hesitates. “Well, I’m not sure yet. But one of their producers came by the studio today. They’ve seen videos of Martin’s and my performances. They’re asking.”

Tom sits up as well, his face now inches from hers. His lips press to hers lightly. “Do you want to?”

She shrugs, but smiles against his lips. “I’m a bit scared they just want me, because they know I’m with you.”

They never hid their relationship since they’ve got together almost two years ago after Tom came back from Australia in November of 2016. They met – and Nina knows it sounds like a cliché – during a charity event where they both performed a dramatic piece and a dance respectively.

'The dancer Katharina Wesselowa and actor Tom Hiddleston hit it off quickly' the press would say. Truth is, they were giving themselves a bit of time to fully get over past relationships, but stayed in contact.

It didn’t take longer than a month though, before they went on their first date. It was around Christmas time, and the atmosphere couldn’t have been more romantic if they tried.

So, people know about them. The producers surely know about them, and maybe they just hope to draw attention? That’s what’s been swirling around in Nina's head all afternoon.

“They don’t. You’re a great dancer. And a great teacher.”

“I told them I’ll think about it.”

Tom nods against her. “Do that.”

* * *

So that’s what she does. She thinks about it as Tom reads a book and she's propped up against him, nibbling on some crisps. She thinks about it as well when they share dinner and talk about Tom’s day.

And she also thinks about it as she snuggles up to Tom when they’re both naked and sweaty and in bed next to each other, when it’s dark outside and she really should be sleeping. Instead the opportunity to do something incredible in the next year is in her head.

Nina is even still thinking about it when she sees Tom slightly furrowing his brow and licking his lips. She frowns.

“What is it?”

He shakes his head, shooting her a smile, and pulls her into a hug that has her face pressed against his chest. “Nothing.”

“Uh-huh. I don’t believe you for one bit.”

“Okay. I had some news today as well.”

“Ooph.” It’s mumbles against Tom, and Nina pushes to get away from him, then leans on her elbow and presses a hand against Tom’s chest instead. He’s grinning at her. “Tell me.”

“You know, I actually still can’t tell you.”

“Now that’s just bullshit. What is it?”

“Marvel could shoot me.”

That has her alert. “Is it about the thing you told me in March? Or well, the thing you also couldn’t tell me then?”

“I really couldn’t. And can’t. But it’s big. And it’ll be somehow announced next month. It's also processing quite quickly.”

“But we need to plan around it, don’t we? If Strictly will be too much, I need to know. Will it be too much?”

Her heart beats fast. Now she’s got herself all excited just for Tom to shoot god knows where and her not being able to visit? Or for Tom to not be able to see the show? No way.

He smiles at her though, and all seems to be okay, somehow.

“I can tell you that it won’t be for a bit, possibly even a bit more than a year. And it’d have me in London. And that I’m freaking excited they want me.”

Nina pushes herself up some more. If Tom’s excited she’s excited as well. She straddles him, grinning at his huff.

“Of course, they want you. Everyone wants you. And I want you to do this, if it makes you happy.”

He smiles up at her, and Nina can’t do anything else than lean forward and press a kiss to his lips. “It makes me happy,” he whispers against her mouth.

“I can make you happy too,” she mumbles back and then screams and laughs as Tom turns them both around to pin her to the mattress.


	3. Chapter Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I realised that I need to make up a schedule for Strictly, as the original collides with everything I've planned. So please, know that I know this.  
> Also, I may have forgotten Bobby in chapter 1. Shame on me, but he's in this now, getting in on the action ;)  
> Please, let me know what you think :)  
> Also also, here'll be smut. A little bit.

„Thomas William Hiddleston!“ It’s more a screech than a shout, and Nina knows this. But how dare he not tell her this? How dare he make her find out on the internet first, and then his social media account which he hasn’t used in forever? Oh no. Thomas William Hiddleston is not going to survive this evening.

She just needs to find him first. From the office she makes her way to the hallway. It’s suspiciously quiet, but then again if she were him, she wouldn’t dare to announce her presence either now.

And then she hears a cabinet door open and close in the kitchen. Aha! His love for sweets always gets him in trouble somehow, why should this be different?

Nina pads along the hallway and stops at the open door to their kitchen. There he is, one hand still holding the cabinet door, the other holding a piece of chocolate.

He’s standing half with his back and half with his side to her, and Nina can see a faint grin forming on his lips. He knows she’s there. But does he know what she’ll do next?

With a shout she runs towards him, and before Tom can properly turn around, she’s on him from behind, her legs tightly locked around his waist.

The momentum propels them forward a bit, and with one hand Nina manages to snatch the piece of chocolate from him, while her other arm tightly wraps around his shoulders.

“Hey!” She has no idea if the offended tone in Tom's voice is more about the chocolate or the attack, but he deserves both. “Hey, hey, hey!” He’s laughing now, making it so very hard for Nina to keep her face straight. She’s happy for him of course, but how dare he not telling her everything?

“A series, Tom? A Loki series? More stories to tell, more mischief to make, more to come? Really now?” Just for good measure she slaps his chest, holding on a bit tighter.

Tom laughs on, and now Nina can’t hold it in herself. “You meanie! This is fucking huge, Tom! And you just didn’t tell me. I’m mad at you!”

“Are you though?”

“Very,” she pouts, still slapping away. That is until Tom grabs hold of her feet in front of his stomach and starts tickling. “No! Tom! Stop!”

They’re a laughing mess in the middle of the kitchen now, Tom swaying back and forth trying to tickle her while at the same time trying to stop her from swatting at him. Nina just tries to hold on.

Eventually they bump into the small kitchen table they only use for rushed coffees and toasts or as an additional counter whenever the baking and cooking gets too messy (it almost always does).

Instead of falling backwards with her, Tom manages to sit Nina down on it, using her surprise to make her let go and turns around, standing between her legs, caging her in with both of his arms on either side of her hips. They’re still giggling, both catching their breaths.

Nina looks at him, really looks at him. She hasn’t seen him this delighted in a while. Not about anything work related at least. Of course he’s been happy. He has a great family, great friends, they’re happy together. But he also missed shooting a movie, she can tell.

“You’re happy,” she smiles, the fingers of her right hand brushing a stray curl back from his forehead.

“I am.”

“Good.”

“You’re not really mad?” he asks and grins, leaning closer, making Nina drop her hand and hold on to his waist instead. “At me? For not telling you?”

“You know I’m not really mad,” she whispers.

He’s so close now, his breath fanning over her own lips, and she can smell the beer he had with his roast this evening, and a bit of that chocolate he only got a taste of for dessert. All she can do is keep her eyes open and look at him, her brown eyes meeting his blue ones.

Just as Nina leans forward a bit to not just smell but also feel his lips, she sees Tom’s grin. It’s too late to react, and before she knows what’s going on, it’s back to tickling, this time all she can do is to hold her sides and kick out, a laughing mess in the kitchen table.

* * *

“Ah, look, one part of the ‘Very busy, but oh-so-hot couple’,” Michelle greets Nina as she’s made her way through the busy cafe and sits down on the other side of the table.

Nina rolls her eyes. “Oi, you read it too?”

“Of course I did. The new power couple. So successful again.”

She eyes her friend with a frown. Michelle grins back at her, an omelette and a coffee already in front of her, a green jacket over the back of her chair and a dress in vintage style wrapped around her curves.

“Are those little pin-up-girls on your dress?”

“Nice try. You can’t distract me,” Michelle laughs. “And yes, they are. Now, order your breakfast and tell me everything.”

So, she does. There isn’t much to tell really. Nothing new, except that Tom and Nina will both be exceptional busy in the next couple of months. And the media latched on to that of course.

Because yes, five days after breaking the silence on social media with his tweet about Loki, Tom managed to shock possibly every single one of his fans with the news he’s about to do Betrayal – the Harold Pinter play about exactly that – on West End in London.

And another day later it was also announced that European championship winner Katharina Wesselowa is actually about to join the cast of Strictly Come Dancing.

It’ll be hectic, and they won’t have much time for each other with both of them in rehearsals and the premieres and finales close together. The first round of Strictly is set for the weekend before the Betrayal premiere with the Strictly finale two weeks after the play's.

Well, if Nina makes it that far. Maybe her partner will be horrible and she’ll have all the time in the world to watch every single one of Tom’s performances.

She won’t be able to make it to the first and last show, but they both talked about it in lengths. She’ll make it to other matinees or evening performances and will miss a few.

Just like Tom didn't manage to see all of Nina's championships. They’re used to it.

“That doesn’t mean it’ll be easy, though,” she concludes her retelling of the past week. “I’m not even sure Tom’s used to the stress anymore. He’s running through the house like a chicken on speed already, and these were just the announcements.” At Michelle’s laugh, she opens her eyes wide. “Really! At one point I turned off his phone, because he was constantly checking it for news and reactions.”

“You both need some time off before you really start to work.”

“Well, Tom will be at Comic Con in freaking Tokyo by the end of the month.”

Michelle makes a face as she sips from her second coffee. “That’s not really relaxing. And in less than two weeks.”

“Yeah.” She sighs, eats the last of her own omelette, and then sighs again. “I think I’ll take him to drive up to his mum’s this weekend. It’s so calm by the sea, and he just loves it. And we can take Bobby. I don’t even know who’s more excited on the trips up north.”

* * *

And so that’s what they do. Tom insists he actually doesn’t really need the small getaway, but Nina takes it as a silent thank you when he lets her drive them there while he relaxes on the passenger seat, Bobby happily watching everything that’s going on outside from his place in the trunk.

“Thank you,” Tom mumbles from her left, just five minutes before they’re about to arrive at Diana's, making Nina take her eyes off the street for a moment and look at her boyfriend instead. He looks back at her with slightly tired eyes, but the bouncing of his knee has stopped, and there’s a genuine smile on his face.

“Hm?”

“For taking me there. It’s been a bit much these last couple of days. Exciting, but much.”

Their hands meet on Nina's thigh. “You’re more than welcome. I need the calm before the storm as well.”

* * *

“Alright, you two, I’ll see you in the morning,” Tom’s mum says the next night, “It's been a lovely day, but I’m beat.” The small woman that reminds Nina so much of Tom stands up from her spot on the sofa, bending and kissing both her son and Nina on their cheeks as she passes them to make her way to her bedroom on the first floor.

It has indeed been a lovely day, Nina thinks as she snuggles closer to Tom, taking a sip of her red wine. They both slept in, then had a late breakfast while Diana was out and about doing some shopping. They met up in the afternoon, and walked. Just walked along the beach with Bobby running from one of his favourite people to the other, barking at the waves here and there. They made their way back through town, stopping just to have a pub dinner, before they returned home to open a bottle of wine and start a fire in the fireplace.

“I love you,” Nina mumbles and tilts her head up to meet Tom’s lips with hers.

He hums against her, and she can feel his lips forming a smile. “I love you too. But where does this come from?”

Nina shrugs and moves back a bit. “I just feel like the next months will be so busy, and I want you to know. Plus, I’m feeling so calm and relaxed right now. And I just love you.”

“Hm-hm.”

It’s all the answer she gets, before Tom takes both of their wine glasses to put them on the small table in front of them. And then his lips are back on hers, his body pressing Nina back, his hands roaming her sides, tugging at the jumper she’s wearing.

“Tom...”

“Hmm.”

“We can’t... your mum...,” she mumbles between kisses, “and Bobby,” she then gets out, but it’s just because Tom’s lips leave her mouth to find a way south.

“Please, don’t mention my mum or our dog when I’m trying to seduce you,” he murmurs against her neck, and she feels and hears his pout.

“They'll catch us.” It’s embarrassing really, how fast she’s gone from protesting to whimpering. And despite her words, Nina's arms wrap around Tom’s neck, pulling his head up again to kiss him. For real this time.

“Bobby won’t care,” he mumbles, “and Mum's in bed.”

“I want to be in bed as well.”

That’s all it takes. In one – or maybe two – swift motion Tom’s up from the sofa, all but throwing her over his shoulder. Bobby's already on his doggy bed in the hall, so Nina tries to silence her giggles as Tom switches off the lights as he goes and then storms up the stairs, only walking slowly as they pass the bedroom door, and then rushes to his old room.

The giggles soon turn into moans as they both get rid off their clothes, taking turns undressing the other.

They take their time then, biting, licking, kissing, and teasing, Tom using his tongue to make Nina see stars twice before she takes him in her hand and almost makes him come undone before Tom stops her to slide home.

They move together, muffling their moans with open-mouthed kisses, breathing into and for each other.

“Are you close?” Tom whispers, “I need you to be close.”

When Nina doesn’t answer – she can’t, she doesn’t even know her own name – Tom sneaks one hand down, touching her bundle of nerves.

“God, Tom,” she moans and hisses. “I’m...”

“Yes.”

They come together and just lay still for a few moments afterwards, both of them panting heavily, before Tom moves to get off her.

They’re tangled together, sweaty, but satisfied, both drawing patterns on the other's body.

“It won’t get too much for us, will it?” Nina whispers into the silence.

She knows how busy Tom’s shooting schedule was before she entered his life. And she’s been with him during awards promos and tours for his movies. She knows jet lagged and tired and even anxious Tom. But it’s been a while.

“Never. And we’ll have each other to hold on to.”


	4. Chapter Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Christmas with Tom and Nina.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am beyond sorry, I don't even have an excuse. I hope you still want to read this, and I hope you're still with me even after all these months. Also: here, at least have some smut in the end.

With a groan Nina throws first her bag and then herself on the living-room couch.

“Why?” she moans into the pillow. “What were we thinking, Tom?” She only stops for a moment to slap Tom's thigh as he comes to stand next to her. “Stop laughing at me. You should have stopped me when I told you about the plan.”

It sounded so lovely when they talked about it. Hosting Christmas this year. Tom has a lovely new and bigger home in the country, with lots of space (which cost lots of money). Before he never used to invite his family over for Christmas, simply because it was a nightmare to even fit everyone at the table.

But this year, before 2019 will bring one of the busiest years for the couple, they’ve decided to go all out.

Which means that now, one day before Christmas eve, Tom and Nina got up at 4 a.m., drove south to Tom’s place, went out to go shopping for groceries – and one or two Christmas presents on Tom's part, because Christmas always comes around all of the sudden with no time to do the shopping – and now are back shortly before noon.

But as hosts your day doesn’t stop there. They’ll have to clean up and tidy all the guest rooms along with the bathrooms, and they’ll have to prepare some of the food for Christmas eve.

Their families will arrive the next day, then spend the evening and the entire Christmas day with Tom and Nina, before they’ll leave on boxing day. The hosts will stay until new year's day. If they're still amongst the living then.

Tom’s still chuckling at her, which only means he doesn’t get the situation and the stressful days ahead of them, or he’s finally gone mad. Both options aren’t the best for a good Christmas, but it might be funny for their families.

“It’ll all be fine,” he says from next to the couch and actually sounds like he means it. Well, Tom is an actor after all.

“It won’t be,” Nina mumbles into the pillow under her face. “We'll be stressed out, my mum will wonder if we have enough food for everyone, Dad is going to go for the vodka, your mum will join my mum with being ‘helpful’ in the kitchen, and the two children will hurt their heads.”

“Jesus.” He’s full on laughing now. “What’s going on at your house at Christmas?”

“Nothing like that, because my mum knows how to host a Christmas family feast.”

“We do too. We’re adults. How hard can it be?”

“Did you listen to anything I’ve just said?”

* * *

It turns out, hosting Christmas isn’t as bad as Nina's made it seem. It’s not as easy as Tom’s hoped either.

Nina's parents, Irina and Alexander, arrived first, making their way over from Reading in the morning. James and Diana, Tom’s divorced parents, arrived with Tom's sister Emma, her husband Jack and their daughter Lilly, Nina's brother David together with his girlfriend Chloe shortly after that, and in the afternoon Tom’s older sister Sarah made it to the house with her husband Yakov and their daughter Sophie in tow.

As of now, it seems completely impossible for Nina to get them all fed and not on the verge of dehydration for the entire holidays. But they’re mostly adults. They can at least make themselves sandwiches if all goes south, right? Right.

At least they have enough rooms, with the two little cousins desperately wanting to share a bed. Nina’s just happy they won’t invade her and Tom’s bedroom. She doesn’t even have it in herself to feel bad about it. She can see the same relief on Tom’s face.

Currently, Nina's also extremely tired. She’s been up since 6 o'clock this morning – again – to continue preparing the house for the invasion and to go shopping for the fresh food they’ll need for the Christmas dinner they’re going to have tomorrow.

But she can’t go to bed. Not yet. Not when even the little girls are awake, too excited for Santa’s visit during the night.

“Ninaaaa?” Sophie gets up from Tom's lap to make the three steps it takes to come to stand before her aunt – not officially of course, but it already feels like it. “Nina, can we stay up all night and wait for Santa?”

She makes an effort to stop herself from cringing. She even ignores Tom’s snickering right next to her. Or the smirks on the other adults’ faces. Yeah, yeah, she knows. It’s funny because she’s tired and the children are not.

“Oh Sophie,” she sighs dramatically and pulls the child onto her own lap. “Oh, little one. I don’t think Santa is going to come if you’re not asleep. Or if I’m not asleep.”

“Pf,” is Tom's rather unhelpful response. He’s also still snickering. Something that earns him a glare from Nina.

Sophie pouts. “Okay.” Her chin is resting on her little fist now. “Uncle Tom?”

“Ha!” It’s Nina's turn to laugh now. “Yes, that’s a great idea, little one. You can stay up with your lovely uncle.”

Which, to be quite honest, is not a good idea. He’s been into the wine. Not drunk, but a little too tipsy to take care of his niece and stay up with her all night. And hopefully not too tipsy to ignore the prep work the next morning. She needs him. If only for the potatoes.

“Oh. No, no, no. I’m sure Santa only comes when you’re tugged in bed. With Lilly. Right? Sarah? Emma?”

His sisters giggle, but nod. “Yeah,” Emma agrees, “we did try it, when we were your age.” She shakes her head, a dramatic display that tells Nina exactly what she needs to know about the acting talents running through the entire Hiddleston family. “We didn’t catch him. And he almost didn’t come.”

Gasps from the little girls make the adults hide various stages of laughter, Tom surprisingly being the worst. It’s the wine, Nina suspects.

“Sooooo.” Sophie turns on Nina's lap again, facing her. She takes the woman's face in her little hands, squishing her cheeks. “We need to go to bed now.” She turns to her smaller cousin who’s currently sitting on her father’s legs, looking like she doesn’t think staying up and waiting for Santa is a good idea anyway. She’s still awake, though. “Lilly, we need to sleep.”

It prompts another round of laughter with Tom’s giggles lasting the longest, his head dropping into his hands. Oi. Nina suspects he needs about ten more minutes, before he’s ready to go to bed himself.

“Okay, okay, little rascals,” Sarah calls, “get ready then, I’ll take you to your room.” The little girls beam and with kisses to each of the adults they leave with Sarah.

Nina looks at Tom, sitting in his chair with a grin on his face. He looks back at her. “What?” he whispers.

She shrugs. “I don’t know. Just thought you should maybe go to bed too. I need you up early and bright tomorrow to peel the potatoes.” She says it with a smirk, but she means it. She won’t have the dinner ruined by a boyfriend with a hangover.

“Come on, now,” Tom chuckles. The others don't, they do look mighty entertained, though. It’s not like they’ve never seen anyone a tad tipsy before. It’s not like they’ve never been tipsy themselves. “I’ll be fine.”

Nina raises her brow. “Tom.”

The next chuckle turns out to be a bit harsher. “Really?” He looks at the others. Their siblings, their parents. Nods all around, only Tom shaking his head in response. Then a huff. “Okay. Fine. Make sure to clean up your stuff in my house, yeah? Since you already know what’s best here.”

“Tom...”

But he interrupts Diana, before she can say anything further – or be backed up by any of the others. “No, it’s fine, Mum. I need to go to bed. Can’t have the potatoes peel themselves tomorrow.”

The dramatic leaving is disturbed by the tiniest sway of his in the doorway. Then he’s gone.

Nina looks at all of them. The sympathetic eyes of her parents, her brother and Emma looking down at the carpet, their partners looking at each other, Diana and James shaking their heads at their son.

“I’m sorry. He... I think he’s a bit stressed.” They stare. “No, not because you’re here. It’s... It’s Loki and Betrayal and shootings and rehearsals. And me going to be busy as well. He’s not used to that anymore. He... He should relax. But not like this. I... I’m sorry.”

“You’ve got nothing to be sorry for, dear,” Diana reassures her. “And we’ll have a wonderful, relaxing day tomorrow. Nothing needs to be perfect, and the two of you won't have to do everything by yourselves. We’re family. We’re going to have fun.”

* * *

And fun they’ve had all of Christmas day, Nina reminisces in bed at night. Tom not so much in the morning, that was plain to see on his face and in the way he held himself. But he obviously knew better than to complain while they prepared everything. He even apologised, everyone reassuring him it was all fine.

The day's been great, the presents were a hit with the children (and Nina), the kids played outside, the grown-ups drinking bucks fizz, eggnog and then wine all day. Paired with water and coffee, of course.

“You worried for nothin’.”

Nina looks at her boyfriend getting into bed next to her. He’s right. She worried and didn’t have to. The food’s been delicious, nobody got hurt.

Now, Nina's head is swimming a bit and she giggles as Tom plops down next to her, snuggling under the blanket to get closer.

“I know. I know. But you can’t blame me. Our families could come straight out of a bloody nightmare sometimes.”

“Hm-hm.” Tom’s right hand wanders, he turns his head, and Nina giggles again as he starts nibbling on her neck. “Now stop talkin’ about our fam'lies. ‘m trying to s'duce you.”

“That’s seducing me?” she whispers.

“Yup.”

“That’s not seducing. That’s lacking lots of finesse.”

“Pf.”

He moves closer still. Tom’s right hand on Nina's thigh moves higher as he leans onto his side, his left hand joining his right on Nina's body. She can’t suppress the moan leaving her as she feels Tom’s body pressing down on her. He moves above her, caging her in. His breath is heavy on her throat as he makes his way down, then it leaves her as he moves further and further down, pushing her sleep shirt away with his wandering mouth.

Nina holds on tight. Her hands find his shoulders, her hips move on their own accord. “You’re drunk. We can’t. Can you?” She doesn’t even want the answer. She'd possibly have to kill him if he decided to leave her high and dry – or not dry at all – now.

“Don't insult me.” But it’s said with no malice at all. Instead Tom smirks above her as he pushes his hips into hers and wiggles his brows. “I can.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.”

“Kiss me then.”

He does. And goodness, he does it so well. It’s a bit sloppy, but Tom makes up for it with his enthusiasm. They move against each other, and while Tom's hands roam Nina's body from waist to breasts and back down to her hips, Nina grinds her hips against his again and her hands find their place in Tom's hair. It’s long enough now to really tug on it, to make him moan into her mouth as she buries her hands in it.

Their tongues dance as well as their lips. Nina closes her eyes when Tom moves one hand down and into the boxer shorts she wears to bed.

He touches her, and it’s all she can do to not explode then and there. She wants this to last, wants to enjoy this as long as she can, enjoy the feel of Tom against her and eventually inside her.

Then Tom’s hand moves the boxer shorts away while his fingers are inside her panties and against her bud.

“You’re wet for me,” he whispers against her neck. The answer is lost in a moan caused by Tom's tongue licking the soft spot under her ear and him changing the pressure on the bud.

Nina grinds against Tom's hand. And then all bets are off when he pushes two fingers inside her. “Toooooom.”

“I have you.”

He’s too dressed is the strange thought Nina has. Too dressed, but at the same time the material of his shirt and boxers does delicious things to her already overheated body.

“Have me.”

“I do.”

The shake of her head is more thrashing than anything else. “No,” she whispers and tugs at his t-shirt, rubbing her thighs against his. “No. Undress and then have me.”

It’s like Tom’s only waited for her to say something. He lets go – making Nina whimper at the loss of him inside and against her – and gets rid of his shirt, pushes down his pants and then takes care of Nina's remaining clothes.

“I’ll have you,” he moans when he settles again, their bodies now deliciously naked against each other.

“Yes.”

And then Tom enters her, immediately setting a pace. They moan together, they kiss, they nibble, they bite. They move against each other as they hold hands and cry out.

Nina keeps her eyes shut and just feels. Feels Tom inside her, against her, feels him move and stutter. And then she sees lights and feels that warmth spreading through her entire body, starting in her core. She clenches around him, and then Tom fills her.

They lie together afterwards, panting into each other’s ears, Tom’s weight pressing down on Nina's body.

“Love you.”

She smiles. Moves a bit to get comfortable and to make Tom understand. He does and lifts himself off her, just to press against her side a moment later.

“Love you too,” she mumbles back as she drifts off.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Maybe I'm the only one feeling strange writing people so close together in times like these.  
> Stay safe and stay at home if you can!


End file.
